SEXUALLY ACTIVE NIGERIANS SHOULD TAKE HPV VACCINE

A Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr Nathaniel Adewole, has
urged all sexually active Nigerians to take the Human
Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, to prevent them from
contracting the virus.
Adewole, said in Abuja on Thursday that the vaccine
would be more helpful to men or women who had multiple
sex partners.
According to him, the virus is the leading cause of
cervical cancer.
“Any man or woman who has multiple sex partners
stands a high risk of getting the virus, and the virus
cannot be cured, it can only be managed.
“The virus can be transmitted from man to woman,
especially those who have multiple sex partners.
“It is better when you are not HPV exposed; you know
most virus do not have treatment, they can only be
managed.
“A person can take the vaccine to prevent him/her from
having it and a woman that is not HPV positive can take
the injection in order to prevent it.
“The best advice for the man if he has it already is that
his wife should go for screening,’’ Adewole said.
According to him, people who have multiple sex partners,
early exposure to sex, and people who engage in
unprotected sex stand the risk of contracting the virus.
He said that cervical cancer was one of the leading
causes of death among women, especially in sub-
Saharan Africa.
Adewole, therefore, advised women to do regular cervical
screening or Pap smear in order to detect and treat
whatever could lead to cervical cancer at an early stage.
He further advised HPV positive women to continue to
undergo Pap smear screening while non-positive women
should have the screening done at three-year intervals.